Bodybugg...Endomondo...Possibly too much information?

melbaby925
melbaby925 Posts: 613
edited September 28 in Fitness and Exercise
I have been walking and walking/running with my bodybugg (using the SP model), and recording the exercise on MFP along with my food. Then a friend told me about Endomondo and how awesome it is about tracking your route, speed and elevation - so I downloaded it an use it on my Android. We're going out and walking the dogs off road in the hills outside of town and Endo has been great way to map what I'm walking.

My bodybugg said that I burned 1430 calories this morning on our 3.30 mile walk. We were walking in soft sand for one of the miles, asphalt and hard dirt for another, and did a steep hill for the last (legs...killing me!), and averaged a 17 minute mile across the walk.

Endomondo said I burned 551 calories.

I'm questioning the accuracy of the bodybugg.

The bodybugg is consistently 2.5 times as many calories burned as what MFP and Endomondo say. Granted, I'm really overweight (265.6 as of this morning before our walk - 23 pounds down from my start)...but this many calories?

What do you guys think? Because I'm starting to drive myself crazy with this!

Replies

  • LOVEsummer
    LOVEsummer Posts: 304 Member
    your body bugg sounds like it is a bit off... maybe there is a way to calibrate it?
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
    I'm a similar weight and there is no way I would burn that many calories, I'd go with the body bug being off.
  • willimh
    willimh Posts: 227 Member
    I have the bodybugg. I would go by the bug because it is a device you are wearing and endo is not. The bodybugg is set to your weight, height, age and gender. You cant go wrong with a device you are wearing. You just have to make sure you update you weight when you lose.
  • keschuh79
    keschuh79 Posts: 29
    The truest measure of calories burned is going to be with a heart rate monitor. I can't speak for bodybugg or endomondo as I've never used them, but when I was struggling to understand how many calories I'd burned, I didn't discover how off I was until I'd bought an HRM. The gym equipment/mfp estimated too high or too low. However, if it's not in your budget, I would suggest just averaging out the two numbers until you can find a more accurate count. At least that way you're covering yourself from over or underestimating.

    Unless a bodybugg is a type of HRM? lol. I apologize if I'm completely off in my advice, but I'd never heard of those until today.
  • emmaleigh47
    emmaleigh47 Posts: 1,670 Member
    I also have to agree with the Body Bugg... I personally would not burn that much but its all about how much you are exerting yourself right... so the BodyBugg is checking that because it is on you ... I burned alot more today during my 6 mile run than I normally do because my Body Media was smart enough to know that I was exerting myself every harder (was running hills)!
  • koukla702
    koukla702 Posts: 171
    Honestly I'd stick with the bodybugg - as said above the bodybugg is wearable - I use it for all my calorie burn and at the end of the night my overal deficit for the day - it's been pretty right on in terms of weight loss for the week and I've been using it my entire weight loss journey - love the bugg.
  • hoosiermama1977
    hoosiermama1977 Posts: 43
    I use a bodymedia fit - so similar to the bodybugg (even the same company) and I'd really say go with the bodybugg. I burn about 3000 calories per day - without any extra exercise - the reason these devices are so effective is because they show us what we truly burn!
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    This is sort of a tricky case. Normally I would be inclined to trust and HRM or Bugg over a GPS-based app like Endomondo. But that is a pretty big discrepancy. I would be a bit torn as well. Have you ever done a similar side by side comparison on a walk or run over a more regular surface? I might even be inclined to do like a 1 mile walk around your neighborhood and compare the numbers.
  • DizzieLittleLifter
    DizzieLittleLifter Posts: 1,020 Member
    I love endomondo, but it is wrong a lot of the times with milage (counts higher).It's guessing your calories. I agree the bodybug since you are wearing it is probably more accurate. Ohh I wanted to add that it does seem like too many calories for such distance. Do you have an option to calibrate or reset the body bug?
  • ResilientWoman
    ResilientWoman Posts: 440 Member
    Trust your BodyBugg, I have the same. It recalibrates when you enter your measurements. I have a trainer who takes all my metrics monthly, I weigh in weekly and I enter those on the BodyBugg/Apex website. The first week it recorded me a tad too high but since the first re-measure, it has been on target. It has helped confirm medical issues and given me insight into what shuts down my metabolism.

    Friend me, put BodyBugg in the message and I can talk you through getting the most out of your Bugg.
  • melbaby925
    melbaby925 Posts: 613
    Thanks, you guys! I have updated my latest measurements to the profile on Apex.Com. I have to take into consideration that we were doing both soft sand walking and hills, so that must have something to do with it as well.

    I will also get a hold of the Apex folks and talk to them about getting it calibrated. I don't know that I actually am burning 315 calories when I walk around the block - I tested it today. It is just over .6 of a mile and it is uphill, but that seems like a ton of calories!
  • fitnessbugg
    fitnessbugg Posts: 141 Member
    Did you get your Bodybugg figured out? I'm just wondering because you are the first that I have heard of it being off. Please post your progress on this issue. Thanks!
  • CountryDevil
    CountryDevil Posts: 819 Member
    Something to consider here is how these devices are being used and if they are being used to the manufactures directions.

    I have looked at the BodyBugg and decided aginst it for only one reason. I have to monitor my heart rate during exercising/training due to havine Open Heart to repair a bad valve about a year ago. However, the BodyBug would be accurate only if you are updating the infomation it needs to calculate calories burned.

    Programs like Endomondo and gym equimpment will only estimate the calore burn based on the limited amount of data that it is being supplied with. The more data, the more accurate. That said, Endomono will only be more accurate if you had a Bluetooth HRM synced up with it feeding it that date in addition to the speed and distance traveled.

    Bottom line: (In no specific order of worse to best)

    1) Alone, your BodyBug will probably give you the best indication of calories burned during the day as long as it is calibrated properly and you have the correct data plugged into its settings in order to calculate a correct reading. However, from what I do know about it, it collect data in various ways through the use of specialized sensors, but does not collect heart rate.

    2) Heart Rate Monitors have found to be more accurate than gym equipment alone. However some gym equiment can sync up with most Polar Brand of HRM's to give you a better reading. Again, using gym equipment alone is only an estimate based on speed the equipment is being used and the type of equipment it is.

    3) Using Endomondo ( or simmilar programs) anlone is also an estimate based on the speed, distance, elevation and grade information being fed into it. This is done by the combintation of Maps (Usually Google) and GPS data it is receving. However, with these types of programs, using a HRM in conjunction will give you better (and more accurate) results.

    Hope this helps.
  • skinnybeansie
    skinnybeansie Posts: 2
    Don't forget that the Bugg is also taking into account your BMR - the amount of calories you are burning just by existing. I do not think that Endomondo is doing that. Rather, it is just estimating the calories spent on the exercise. I'm also not sure if Endomondo asks for your height and weight, which is also a huge factor in determining how many calories you expend.
  • AshinAms
    AshinAms Posts: 283 Member
    Go with the bodybugg. Also, was it very hot when you did that walk? I remember walking a 5k on four consecutive nights and wearing my hrm for all four walks (same route). At the time I weighed around 300lb.

    One night the humidity and temp were way higher than the other nights and I burnt almost double the calories. Environment can play a role!
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